Underestimated
by gemclaw
Summary: Jack and Maddie Fenton aren't stupid. Danny shouldn't have disregarded their experiments and inventions.
1. Secrets

He really should have known better.

Danny knew his parents were intelligent – geniuses, even. It was just so much easier to disregard their absurd inventions, even though they had helped and saved him multiple times. The Boo-merang had worked for _ten years_ floating in the ghost zone looking for him. If it wasn't for that invention, he might never have stopped his evil future. The Thermos made everything he did possible. The Ecto-Dejecto had saved Danielle's life. The Spectre Speeder, the Xtractor, the Ghost Catcher, the Fenton Phones – Danny could go on for ages. His job would have been nearly impossible without his parent's assistance. Even the less useful inventions like the Ghost Gabber were brilliant and practical.

But their childish behaviour and obsession with ghosts overshadowed their intellect. They were jokes in the ghost hunting world, seen as unprofessional and useless. Danny personally agreed – They were completely inept. They couldn't catch the Box Ghost even if he moved in to the lab. But the one thing they were not was stupid.

In their continuous desire to invent, they had created the ultimately impractical Fenton Inviso-Glasses. It was the beginning of a series of inventions that had gotten Danny into this mess.

In theory, they were useful. They targeted a ghost's ability to go invisible. Put on the Inviso-Glasses, and the ghost couldn't hide.

Jack had used it the first time against Technus. Maddie and Jack had gotten there before Danny, who had been in school. Technus had taken over an electronic shop (typically), and the moment he realised turning invisible had been useless, he'd simply possessed the televisions and started throwing them around. Danny had to lure him out of the shop by 'accidentally' bringing up the Fenton RV parked outside, and all its electronics, sucking Technus into the Thermos in nearly the same minute.

The next invention included being able to see a ghost possessing inanimate objects. Renamed the Ghost Goggles, they made it only a little harder to avoid Jack and Maddie. Danny had guessed his parents were about two percent more likely to catch a ghost.

The Ghost Goggles were brought into play with Walker. This one had been much scarier for Danny – Walker had publicly demanded Danny pay for his crimes in the ghost world. Danny had become sloppy in his confidence with facing Walker. Walker and Danny had fought for a few moments outside City Hall (His statue had been destroyed! Danny was personally offended by that.) before his parents had roared up in the RV. There was a moment that Danny knew what was going to happen, because Walker had done it before. He possessed Danny's mother, and Jack's Ghost Goggles lost sight of Walker the moment he possessed his wife.

A brutal and frankly terrifying fight later had both Danny's parents safe, and him and Walker brawling across town. Sam had snagged the warden with a precise Thermos shot thanks to a distraction by Tucker, and Danny was once again left in fear of possibly losing his family to ghost attacks.

Jack and Maddie hadn't slowed down after the scare, though. They completely redid the Ghost Goggles, and made the invention that had revealed his secret.

The new name was what really irritated Danny. He'd lost his greatest secret because of the Spectre Spectacles.

The Spectre Spectacles had been upgraded to see anything and everything ghost related. He later found out they could see week old ectoplasm.

And really, that's what he was dealing with now.

"Danny-boy!" The unmistakable voice of his father outside his room startled Danny out of his video game. He paused it and got up.

"Yeah Dad?" he asked, opening the door.

His father had the goggles strapped around his forehead. Danny was vaguely reminded of those night vision goggles that he'd seen in movies.

"Your mother and I finally have the Spectre Spectacles in proper working order! You have to see them in action!" His father dramatically pulled the goggles down over his eyes, and stopped his movements so suddenly Danny leaned forward worriedly.

"Dad, are you okay?" he asked, eyebrows knitting together.

There was no response from his father, as most of his face was covered by the goggles. His wide-open mouth was a dead-giveaway to Danny though.

"Dad?" Danny asked nervously. He took a step away from the door and further into the room.

To Danny's ghostly enhanced reflexes his father's movements were slow. To a normal human, it would have been lightning quick. Jack had whipped out a plasma gun and had it pointed at Danny's legs, oddly enough. In the same moment, Jack gave and ear-splitting yell for his wife.

"MADDIE! MADDIE, GET UP HERE NOW!"

Danny immediately knew what his father was seeing without having to ask. He raised his hands up in surrender, backing up to the wall. His father followed him into the room, the weapon in his hands wavering.

"Danny – Danny it's okay Danny-boy, it's okay," Jack started rambling. Danny was at a loss of what to do. He had never imagined himself in a situation quite like this. He couldn't run, and he would never return an attack if his father shot at him.

Thankfully, Jazz arrived before Maddie. A gasp announced her arrival, and Jack spun around at her voice, though the gun was still aimed half-heartedly at Danny.

"NO!" Jazz screamed, and darted around their father to stand in front of Danny, arms spread wide as a human shield. "Stop, Dad! You don't know the full story!"

"Jazzy, that's not Danny. There's something in Danny, Jazzy, we're going to help him, it's okay," Jack's voice shook horribly as he attempted to reassure his daughter.

Maddie arrived in a thunder of racing footsteps. She assessed the scene in moments, noticing the goggles on Jack's head and the weapon now aimed at the floor instead of Danny, as Jack would not aim the gun as his ghost-free daughter.

"Jasmine, sweetheart, it's okay. We'd never hurt Danny, but there's a ghost in him. Those goggles," Maddie pointed at Jacks head. "They can see anything ghostly. They can see the ghost possessing him."

Danny was startled with how quickly his mother had correctly guessed what was happening. Now both his parents thought he was possessed. Great.

"Mads," Jack said, his voice shaking. "Mads, it's not just inside him. There's evidence in… all over the entire room. It's - It's everywhere."

Maddie turned her eyes to the room at large, before focusing on Danny, who wouldn't meet her eyes. Danny hadn't said a word. He had hardly breathed in the two minutes it had taken for this all to unfold.

"No, Dad, Mom, it's okay! It's still Danny! You have to listen!" Jazz shouted waving her arms frantically. "He's still Danny!" She was breathing heavily, and Danny knew her eyes would be wide and desperate.

Jack hardly looked human with the goggles pulled over his eyes, obscuring his emotions, but his body language spoke of uncertainty and terror.

Maddie, who wasn't influenced by whatever Jack was seeing, walked up to her husband's side and gently touched his arm. Jack shuddered, removing a hand from the gun to lift up the goggles. He focused on Danny's face, and Danny stared fearfully back.

Maddie reached up and pulled the goggles on herself. Whatever the goggles showed them was evidently bad, as his mother let out a gasp.

"Danny," she whispered, and Danny finally cracked.

"I'm not a ghost, I don't know what you're seeing, but there's a reason for it, you just have to listen," he pleaded, the words escaping him in a torrent. He was in some sort of shock. This was never how he imagined his secret would be revealed to his parents. He'd imagined it would be in a moment of glory, or a heavy conversation. He had never thought they could figure it out themselves.

Jack seemed to be beyond words. The ectoplasma gun was no longer a threat, as it had fallen to Jack's side. He simply stared a Danny, as though trying to see him through a fog.

Maddie lifted the goggles, and stared heavily at Danny and Jazz, who still stood protectively before him.

Another glance at her distraught husband, and she pursed her lips.

"You have five minutes to explain," she said. Her voice was strong and certain, though her eyes were almost wild.

Jazz heaved a sigh of relief, and lowered her arms, turning to look at Danny.

Danny met her eyes, and saw his own emotions reflected back. Fear, dread, regret and a hint of determination.

Danny tore his gaze from his sister's eyes, and faced his parents.

His hands hadn't lowered from their surrendering position from when he'd first been threatened, and he kept them there as he spoke.

"There's going to be a flash of light, but don't shoot. It won't harm you," he said, and his eyes flicked back to Jazz's. Jazz nodded in support, and gave his shoulder a squeeze.

Danny closed his eyes with a deep breath, and reached inside himself for his other half.

"I'm going ghost," he muttered out of habit.

His eyes stayed closed as he heard his mother gasp violently. His father swore.

Danny peeked his now glowing green eyes open, making a hesitant contact with both his parents' wide eyes.

"I'm Danny Phantom," he said. His voice was ridiculously weak.

Maddie's hand was held over her mouth in terror. Danny could see the connections being made in her mind.

Jack surprised Danny most with his reaction.

"The portal accident," Jack said when Danny met his eyes. Danny bit his lip before nodding to confirm his father's suspicions.

"We _shot_ at you," His mother whispered. "We hunted you down – we spoke of dissecting you to your face," She seemed to be hyperventilating.

"Mom," Danny croaked, reaching out to her.

She reeled back, away from his hand. Danny let it fall to his side.

"Don't call me that," she whispered, and Danny's heart broke.

"I don't deserve to be called that," She continued and Danny took a sharp breath in disbelief. Whatever emotions she was feeling weren't directed at Danny – they were internalized.

Jazz exhaled in relief, and she stepped in to fill for Danny's inability to speak.

"You both didn't know. You can't blame yourselves for anything. Danny's at fault for not telling the truth earlier," she consoled. "You're both wonderful parents."

Her words fell on deaf ears as both Jack and Maddie stared at Danny, whose white hair and glowing green eyes still did not hide their son's features.

Jack again surprised Danny as he spoke. "You saved the world," he murmured. His stare was turning into a look of pride. "You've saved this city hundreds of times."

Danny lowered his now gloved hands to his side. "I've been trying to stops ghosts from attacking," He stuttered. He hated how unintelligent he sounded.

Maddie seemed to have gained control of herself as she continued to stare at him. "I think you're going to need more than five minutes to explain."


	2. Revelations

Danielle Phantom's return to Amity Park was not exactly how Danny had hoped it would go. The last time Danny had seen her was when the Disasteroid had been hurling towards the Earth. She'd made a quick escape afterwards, as she had seen Danny trying to juggle his human and ghost halves in front of half of Amity Park. They'd simply nodded to each other, a promise for a future reunion, and Dani had swiftly left.

The Disasteroid incident had changed a lot of things for Danny. While ghosts still constantly entered the human world, most seemed to respect him now. His old enemies tended to attack simply to spar with him. There were the few who were unshakable – Walker seemed oblivious to the entire Disasteroid event. He and his prison guards had not left the jail, and the ghosts who had been locked up hadn't been able to assist in saving the world. Spectra and Bertrand also didn't seem to care for his new status – they continued to try and trick him and stay in the human world. He hadn't seem much of Undergrowth or Vortex since he saved the world, but knew they would be unchanged as well. Vlad Masters had assisted in turning the world intangible too as Vlad Plasmius, though he still relentlessly continued trying to get Danny to leave his family and join him, stating that they would never understand his other half.

Jazz had covered amazingly for him as he worked with the ghosts to turn the Earth intangible. His parents had apparently noticed his absence several times, but swift interference by his sister and two best friends, Sam and Tucker, had kept his identity secret.

All their hard work was completely irrelevant now, as his parents had finally learned of his ghost half. Danny had left quite a bit out of the story he told his parents. So much of what had happened to him was unbelievable, up to and including his experiences with his evil future self and Vlad's manipulations.

So when Danielle returned to Amity, Danny was happy, yet uncertain. Danny loved Danielle like a sister – she was hugely important to him. But what happened to bring her into the world was so horrific and twisted that Danny couldn't stand to think about it.

Vlad knew he had messed up after the cloning disaster. There was never an apology from Vlad, but there was a deep sense of regret whenever Danny was around the man. He was almost certain it was just more manipulation on the fruitloops part, but being near Vlad scared Danny at this point. He was insane, vengeful, and frankly dangerous.

Sam and Tucker didn't know the full story behind Danielle. They'd met her, knew of her, but to them she was a ghost who had previously been loyal to Vlad. Valerie knew of Danielle's half ghost status, but not much else.

And now a human Danielle was standing at the front door of his house, smiling widely at seeing Danny again. His own joy at seeing her was marred at the inevitable explaining and remembering he would have to do.

"Danielle! Ahh – Hi! It is great to see you again!" He hugged the girl, ushering her inside and closing the door.

"I'm sorry for coming here Danny, but I figured you could say I was a friend from school or something to your parents," Danielle said nervously, though her happiness shone through the hesitance.

Danny shook his head at her. "Never apologise for coming to see me. I told you that you were always welcome here," he reminded her, and they headed to the kitchen.

Danielle had grown in the months since Danny had last seen her. She was well past his shoulder, though he still was taller than her by a good amount.

"How are you, Danny? Mr. Saviour of the World?" She joked, and Danny shot a weak ectoblast at her which she easily dodged. The ectoblast dissipated harmlessly against the far wall. They sat at the kitchen table, and Danny considered her question seriously.

"I'm okay. Things have been going surprisingly well for me. I'm actually really happy," he confessed, and Danielle leaned forward in interest.

"What kind of things?" She asked excitedly. Her blue eyes were focused completely on Danny, who felt as though he were looking into a strange mirror. He shook the feeling off, and smiled at Danielle.

"I told my mom and dad about being half-ghost," Danny revealed. Danielle gasped at the news.

"Ooh, how did they take it? Obviously they accepted you! How could they not? You saved the world!" Danielle exclaimed excitedly. Danny nodded easily. "Yeah, it was good. Wasn't exactly how I thought it would go, but everything is amazing."

Dani smiled happily and congratulated him again. "Tell me more! What else is new?"

"Well, do you remember Sam?" Danny asked, rubbing his neck nervously. At Danielle's nod, he smiled self-consciously. "Well, uh… We're together now. Like boyfriend-girlfriend."

Danielle squealed at the news, leaning back and clapping her hands excitedly. "Oh that's awesome! How long?"

"Since the asteroid thing," he mumbled, embarrassed. He changed the subject quickly. "What about you, Dani? Have you had any issues with stability?" Danny worriedly asked.

The girl shook her head in a negative. "Nope! And well, things have been working on both sides, if you know what I mean. I'm a completely normal two-year old in a fifteen year old body!" She laughed, and Danny stared at her in confusion before accepting the good news.

They shared a smile at their good health, before Danny asked, "What made you decide to return to Amity?"

Danielle frowned slightly, losing a bit of her joy. "I'm tired," She said, not meeting Danny's eyes. "I don't like stealing food and sleeping in abandoned houses. I want to be normal."

Danny's eyes widened when he realised what she was silently asking for. "Dani, you know you can stay here. I can get you set up here tonight," Danny said firmly. She wouldn't have to be alone anymore, he decided. She wouldn't be leaving.

She looked up at Danny, eyes wide with hope. "Really?" She squeaked.

Danny nodded affirmative. "We'll just have to tell my parents the full story. Or, if you want it to be a secret, we can make something up."

Dani frowned at him. "I'm not ashamed of being your clone," She said bluntly, and Danny winced slightly at the words.

Danielle looked at him closely, an almost guarded look in her eyes. Her lips pressed together in a thin line. "Are you ashamed of having a clone?" She asked suddenly, an open but sad look crossing her face.

Danny wildly shook his head at her, raising his hands up. "No, no, no. You're very important to me Danielle, and I wouldn't feel right if I didn't have you here. It's just – what Plasmius did to both of us –," he stopped shortly in the face of his repressed emotions regarding Vlad Masters.

"What Vlad did to us was wrong. He betrayed you, Danielle, and he -," Danny paused again, reflecting on his emotions. How did he truly feel about one of his biggest enemies?

"He violated me," Danny said, certain. "He crossed a line when he tried to clone me. Thankfully, I got a lifelong friend and a sister out of it, but it was wrong. I can hardly face what happened that night, and I honestly don't like thinking about it or what happened," Danny finished. It was a weak summary of the turmoil that was inside him, even years after the fated event.

Danielle nodded slightly, a confused but understanding look on her face. "I don't hate Vlad for it," She told Danny, surprising him. "He betrayed me, but he also created me. Vlad's the reason I'm here, and I'm always going to be thankful for that, even though he did terrible things to me after."

The two of them looked at each other, understanding this was something that they would never really see eye to eye on.

"Well," Danny said, tapping his fingers on the table. "I don't like thinking or talking about Vlad Masters, so-,"

Danny was cut off from finishing as his father rounded the corner, a pair of heavy metal gloves on.

"What did I hear about Vladdy?" His father boomed, smiling at Danny. Danielle's back was to him, and as she turned around his eyes zeroed in on her face.

Danny knew eventually his silence regarding Danielle would come back to haunt him. (Hah, haunt.) His father looked between Danielle and him, obviously noticing their similarities. It was nearly impossible to not recognise the two as related at least.

"Hi," Jack said uncertainly, slowly removing the metal glove from his right hand. He put it on the kitchen table with a thud, and stuck his hand out to Danielle. "I'm Jack Fenton, Danny's father."

Danielle nervously glanced at Danny before she shook Jack's hand, quietly saying, "I'm Danielle."

The moment Jack heard Danielle's name, he turned to look at Danny, who sheepishly tried to smile. It was more of a grimace.

"This is uh, one of those long story things that I don't want to have to tell more than once," Danny said. Danielle frowned at him.

"It's not long!" She objected. "I'm his clone," She announced, pointing at Danny.

His father stared long and hard at Danielle, who slowly seemed to realise she might have gone about this wrong.

"Danny's clone," Jack said slowly. He looked at Danny, nodded once, and strolled away without a word.

Danny stood up to follow him, slightly angry that Danielle hadn't allowed him a real chance to explain. Danielle grabbed his hand as he walked by, pulling him to a stop.

"Give him a minute," She said uncertainly. She looked as though she regretted her outburst.

Danny turned his hand intangible from her grip and angrily returned to his seat.

Danielle frowned at him. "What?" She asked. "It's my news too!"

Danny's mouth twisted slightly at an acceptance of that fact. Danielle might have screwed this up though. He had thought about how he'd reveal her existence to his family, and this wasn't it. Nothing went according to his plans, apparently.

Both teenagers looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps. Jazz and Maddie were following Jack, both of the women noticing Danielle in the same moment.

His father beckoned them to the couch, and Danny and Danielle hesitantly got up and sat down with the rest of the Fentons. Jack remained standing.

"Tell your mother and your sister what I just heard," Jack said to Danny, strangely detached.

Danielle shrank back at the slightly confused looks she was getting from the unfamiliar women. Danny sighed at her reaction.

"This is Danielle," He started. He pointed at his mother and sister. "Danielle, that's Jazz, my sister, and my Mom."

Danielle smiled slightly at the women, who looked at Danny for answers.

"When I told you everything about my ghost half, I uh, didn't tell you everything," He motioned to Danielle beside him. "Danielle is someone I met because of one of the things I didn't tell you about."

"Daniel Fenton!" Maddie exclaimed. "You promised you told your father and I everything!" She seemed to realise that perhaps this wasn't the time as Jack shook his head from where he stood.

Danny grimaced in apology. "There's a ghost I met a few years back who uh… became obsessed with me," Danny met Jazz's eyes, and his quietly flicked to his mom and back to Jazz. Understanding crossed her features, but she remained silent.

"He tried to… convince me to join him on his evil quest or whatever to rule the world and get revenge," Danny continued. Beside him, Danielle shifted uncomfortably. Danny decided to get to the point.

"Anyways, he decided that if he couldn't have me, he'd make his own protégé. That's where Danielle comes in. This ghost collected various samples of my DNA over a few months, and he cloned me. Danielle is my clone." He said. Danielle smiled nervously beside him.

Maddie stared at Danielle, observing the girls features and comparing them to Danny. Jack still stood off to the side, his arms crossed.

Jazz broke the silence with a wide smile. "I've always wanted a sister!" She said happily, and leapt over to Danielle's side, gathering the startled girl into a hug. Danny was thankful for Jazz's acceptance, though he knew he would have hell to pay from her for keeping Danielle a secret.

Jack frowned at Danny, though he looked at Jazz and Danielle hugging with approval. "Is she a half-ghost too?" He asked over their heads.

"Oh!" An excited Danielle said, and she extracted herself from Jazz's grip. The rings split from her middle, transforming her to her ghost half. Dani Phantom stood proudly in the room.

"I'm Dani Phantom!" She announced. Maddie looked at the ghostly girl in front of her, before she too stood and embraced Danielle just as Jazz had.

Jack continued to look at Danny, who avoided his gaze. "What aren't you telling us?" He asked.

Danny nervously rubbed the back of his neck. Danielle seemed to understand what was coming, as she smiled at Maddie and pulled out of the hug to return to her seat between Jazz and Danny.

"You guys personally know who cloned me," Danny started. He nervously glanced around for any hint of cameras, though he was certain he had removed the last of Vlad's devices just the other day.

Maddie looked confused at that announcement, but Danny was now focusing completely on his father. He stayed silent as Jack eyed him and Danielle, obviously working to figure it out on his own.

Danny knew the moment Jack had made the connection, as a look of dread crossed his features.

"He's half ghost too, isn't he?" Jack whispered. His eyes were unfocused, as though he were deep in a memory. Danny nodded solemnly. Beside Danielle, Jazz wrapped an arm around the young girl for support.

Maddie had not made the same connection. Danny assumed Jack had made it so quickly because he'd walked in on Danielle and him discussing Vlad themselves.

He focused on his mother, who looked at him after a concerned glance at her husband.

"Vlad Masters is half-ghost."


	3. Surprises

"Mr. Lancer!" Danny all but shouted as his hand shot up in the air. The gasp that had left him with a chill down his spine meant one thing to him – ghosts.

His teacher turned towards him with a frown, irritated that his lecture was interrupted.

"What, Mr. Fenton?" He asked sarcastically, obviously knowing the answer.

"I have to use bathroom," Danny said quickly. He _hated_ when a ghost attacked during school hours. His conspicuous absence during class time couldn't go unnoticed forever.

"Mr. Fenton," Lancer said sternly. "You cannot continue to disrupt this class so carelessly. You may not use the facilities. This class is over in thirty minutes, I trust you can wait."

Panic ripped through Danny as another shudder racked him, causing him to gasp again. The ghost was much closer. Beside him, Sam had her phone out, hopefully letting Dani know of the ghost near Casper High.

 _Three more months,_ Danny thought crossly.

"Sir, it's an emergency," Danny replied urgently. He stared pleadingly at his teacher, trying to tell the man mentally to let him go.

The man returned his stare, a spark of impatience in his eyes. Danny wanted to burn the Shakespeare book he held in his hands.

A shatteringly loud alarm nearly deafened Danny's hypersensitive hearing before Lancer could reply. Lancer's face looked comically panicked as he realised the ghost alarm was going off.

The Ghost Alarm had been installed a few weeks ago by his parents. He'd agreed wholeheartedly to it at the time – if a ghost shield was around Casper High, it meant if he wasn't near the school, it could be protected. When a ghost was detected within half a kilometer the shield would be deployed, and the alarm would alert his parents. The shield was meant be a safeguard. Now, he wouldn't be able to leave as Phantom, and the school authorities certainly wouldn't let him leave as Fenton. It was against their protocols Danny had helped create behind the scene with his parents help. They'd tuned his and Danielle's ecto-signature so they didn't set the alarm off, even though Dani was being homeschooled by Jack and hadn't spent much time near the highschool. It had been a good idea.

 _Nice work, Fenton,_ he thought. Of course he hadn't realised this was a potential outcome. He'd always figured he would be able to get out before the shield went up. A ghost shield was a ghost shield. His parents hadn't been able to make one that let certain ghosts through. They'd tried explaining it to him, but he'd given up after they started talking about generator capabilities.

Him not setting the alarm off was all he'd cared about, as Danny Fenton was decidedly not at all ghostly or worth the notice of his peers. It was a good system.

Lancer began shouting instructions at the class. Danny realised he had never participated in a ghost drill as he'd always left before any teacher knew of a ghost's presence. The few times there had been a situation involving ghosts he was usually fighting he always claimed he'd hid in the bathroom.

In all the chaos, Danny noticed Valerie slip out the door. He began to slide his way over to the door, when Mr. Lancer caught him.

"Mr. Fenton! Away from the door, and into the middle of the classroom!"

Danny gaped at Mr. Lancer. He wasn't going to be able to sneak out yet, he realised.

With a last glance out the door, he reluctantly slunk his way next to Sam and Tucker.

Sam shot him a worried look. He shrugged in response.

The alarm continued blaring as the green glow from the ghost shield tinted the light from the windows in the room.

Danny stared worriedly out the window, knowing his parents and Dani were on the way and probably scanning the skies for him.

Tucker stiffened beside him as Danny let out another gasp, stronger than the rest had been.

"Never thought this would happen," Danny muttered. He could only hope Valerie was able to hold her own against whatever ghost was out there. It had to be a powerful one to have set his ghost sense off multiple times. It was getting closer.

"We can cover for you," Sam murmured in his ear. Danny shook his head in response.

"No, Lancer's too close to the door. He knows without question that I'm in the room." He communicated with a glance the he wasn't able to say much else, as they were surrounded by quietly chattering teens. He couldn't sustain a duplicate for long enough to try and escape invisibly. He could leave intangibly, he knew, but how could he explain his sudden absence? He'd been noticed today, which made everything harder. How much did he value his secret?

Tucker frowned. "We could distract Lancer and you could make a run for it," He suggested, and Danny perked up.

Sam snorted. "Yeah, but why would anyone want to escape the safe and secure classroom to run towards the danger? If we do it, there will be a lot of questions raised," she rationalized.

"I could say I _really_ needed to pee," Danny half-heartedly suggested. In hindsight, they really should have thought of a plan for a situation like this. It was ridiculous that he was so far in the game and this was what would stop him from helping.

Tucker grimaced in response, but held up his PDA.

"Valerie is heading back this way. You parents are about five minutes away. They need to work on their response time," He said. The PDA showed two flashing dots, one much closer to the middle of the screen that showed their location.

The alarm died in the same moment the ghost shield fell with an enormous crack.

Danny's ghost sense once again went off, and he realised he might have a big problem on his hands in a moment.

"Whatever ghost is coming just shattered the ghost shield," He said. Sam rolled her eyes, probably because she hated it when people stated the obvious.

Her muttered "No shit, Sherlock," proved it.

Danny casually stood from his position on the ground, facing the door. Whatever was coming had to be coming for him.

Beside him, both Sam and Tucker stood. Sam casually adjusted her wrist rays into a more ready position. Tucker's bag was partially unzipped and clutched in his left hand. Danny knew he had an ecto-gun ready to go inside it.

The strongest gasp yet, and Danny narrowed his eyes. If his secret was revealed today, so be it. The safety of the people in this school was first.

The ghost that flew intangibly in the room was not who he was expecting, but the relief was nearly covered by his anger.

"Amigo!" Wulf huffed as he saw Danny, stepping in the room through the wall. His green tracksuit was ripped in places, and there was dried ectoplasm covering his left arm. He had definitely been through a bit before showing up here, and Danny angrily wondered if it was Valerie who did this.

Behind him, Paulina screamed.

Lancer had startled when the portal went down, but his yelp of fear and quick retreat was much more obvious. He did, however, stand between Wulf and his students. Danny thought it rather noble.

The tense and fearful atmosphere worsened as Wulf took a step forward, his right clawed paw held up in a nonthreatening way.

It was nonthreatening to Danny, Sam and Tucker, but not his other classmates. Danny could hear Paulina start crying behind him, and his enhanced hearing picked up the sound of speeding heartbeats. Thankfully, they were experienced enough in attacks to remain mostly calm.

Wulf cocked his head at the reactions he got from the humans. Danny shook his head lightly, trying to tell the friendly ghost now wasn't the time.

Wulf wasn't the smartest ghost Danny had met, but at least he was loyal. The motion for him to leave was completely missed by Wulf, who gestured to his bloodied arm.

" _Hurt_ ," The wolf moaned in Esperanto. He dropped onto three legs, the injured arm tucked closely to his side. His bushy tail was lifeless behind him.

Danny seethed at the injuries his friend had received. He didn't know if it had been Valerie, but he needed her to understand not all ghosts were evil sooner than later.

She'd come to light with Dani, hadn't she? After his ghost side had saved the world with the help of all those ghosts, he'd hoped she would start to consider who she was attacking. Heck, his parents finally understood some ghosts were good, like Dora and Frostbite and Wulf, and some were bad, like The Fright Night and Plasmius. He frowned at the unresolved problem he had with Vlad, but knew now wasn't the time.

He took a step forward, standing beside Lancer, who panicked.

"Stay behind me!" He snapped worriedly. Danny held up his hands.

"Mr. Lancer, he's hurt. I know about ghosts because my parents, and he doesn't want to hurt us," He said, hoping it would be enough to ease suspicion. He needed to help Wulf immediately.

"But-," Lancer said as he considered the ghost before them. Danny thought Wulf looked like an enormous puppy with the way he was crouched, silently pleading with Danny for help.

Danny took another step forward, and Wulf snuffed the air in his direction hopefully.

Danny heard the engine of Valerie's sled the same moment Wulf did, as the both immediately swivelled towards the door.

Wulf gave a look that read pure annoyance, and Danny figured that Valerie hadn't been responsible for Wulf's condition.

They exchanged a quick look, and Wulf shuffled forward to crouch beside Danny. Lancer squeaked oddly, but Danny was impressed that he didn't back away like everyone but Sam and Tucker had.

The door burst open, and The Red Huntress examined the room before leveling her blaster at Wulf, who growled in return.

Danny jumped in front of Wulf, arms wide.

"No, stop! He's hurt!" Danny shouted at Valerie, who motioned with her gun for him to move.

Behind him, Wulf growled again. Danny shot a warning look at him, and the enormous wolf flicked an ear in acknowledgement.

The Red Huntress hovered a tad closer, and a voice that was still Valerie's though disguised in a strange accent said, "Move, kid. That ghost was trying to attack this school."

Danny gestured at the ghost behind him. "Does he look like he's trying to attack anyone?" He returned.

Danny could almost taste the disbelief and confusion from Valerie.

"Yes," She promptly replied.

Danny glanced behind him to see Wulf had his claws out and lips were pulled back in a threatening snarl. At Danny's look, the snarl vanished and his ears flicked forward, an embarrassed look crossing his face.

Danny just shook his head, and held his hand out in front of him, fingers wide.

"Just let him go, okay? He's not going to hurt anyone, he's injured himself, he needs help," He exclaimed.

Valerie just shook her head. "Out of the way!"

As though it had been rehearsed beforehand, Lancer pulled Danny aside and Valerie let the shot go.

Danny watched as it smashed into Wulf's injured shoulder. The enormous wolf let out a howl before jumping towards Valerie.

The Red Huntress was ready however, as she whipped out her thermos and sucked Wulf in, whose howl echoed with the whine of the thermos.

Danny shoved Lancer off him without thinking and jumped towards Valerie.

"No! Let him go!" He shouted. He felt a hand on his arm, and he had to physically stop himself from turning intangible.

Valerie was already leaving the room, her hover board carrying her through the open door. Danny whirled around to see Sam was the one holding him back, a concerned Tucker right beside her.

The rest of the class was against the far wall, staring in shock at the scene.

Danny was panting heavily, the magnitude of his failure to help hitting him like a ton of bricks.

Lancer was shakily getting up from where Danny had unintentionally shoved him. It was a surprising distance away from where they had been standing originally.

"What the fuck, man," Dash's voice rang out. Danny gave him a look far from what he normally would have, and Dash backed down in surprise.

His parents megaphone rang out, gaining the attention of everyone.

"The ghost threat is over, students and faculty, thanks to the quick work of The Red Huntress. Please return to your regularly scheduled classes," His mother's voice rang out.

With one last disgusted look at Mr. Lancer, Danny stormed out of the classroom towards his parents. They would have questions regarding his ghost half's absence, he was certain.

Lancer's demands that he stop were ignored. Danny knew he had crossed some sort of line today trying to protect a ghost in front of his entire class, but Wulf was an important friend.

He ran into Valerie in the hall, something he hadn't thought about. She offered him a half-hearted smile, and Danny knew she was struggling to remain neutral and as though it wasn't her he'd just shouted at.

It took a great deal of self-control to not react to her. He walked by, choosing to completely ignore her.

He felt her offended surprise and confusion as he walked away. He turned the corner, and waited until he heard her enter the classroom.

Alone in the hall, Danny phased through the lockers, going ghost in the middle of the wall.

He knew he would set off Valerie's ghost alarms, but banked on her having a difficult time getting out of the classroom again. He had to find where she put the thermos with Wulf.

Approaching his parents RV invisibly and intangibly, he hit the button on his new watch that let them know he was about to appear.

They were ready when he popped in beside them, and his mother hugged him. Dani was sitting angrily in the seat opposite them, clearly human.

"Were you not able to get out of class?" His father asked, and Danny nodded, an ugly look on his face.

Jack sighed. "We figured something like this might happen. Lancer called us about your falling grades the other day, Danny-boy."

Danny shook his hand angrily at his father's words. "The ghost that attacked was a friend. The Red Huntress captured him. He's hurt, he needs help," He explained, trying to get them to understand.

"The Red Huntress has been working with us under Vlad's orders," Maddie reminded Danny. Danny knew it was because Vlad was using her to spy on his whole family now. "We have the thermos with the ghost in it. We'll head back to the lab and see what we can do to help him."

Danny frowned. "No, he wouldn't have come to me like this unless it was important. I need to be there."

His parents regarded him, before Maddie sighed and pulled Valerie's red thermos from the RV's containment unit. She tossed it at Danny, who caught it with a disbelieving look.

"We'll meet you at home. Vlad might still show up since he's mayor of the town, and we need to keep up appearances," Maddie said. She turned to Dani, who had remained quiet since Danny's arrival.

"You go with your brother. Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid," She said, and Dani's laugh rang through the RV.

"No promises, but I'll do my best," She chirped. Danny tapped his foot impatiently.

"C'mon, Danielle, let's go," Danny said, shooting one last grateful look at his parents.

Turning invisible, he phased through the RV. He felt Dani change, and seconds later sensed her flying alongside him.

"They still not letting you out to fight?" Danny asked, correctly reading his honorary sister's mood.

Danny knew she was making a face, though he couldn't see it.

"Yeah, something about you being more experienced and older and whatever. I definitely can hold my own against you, and you're stronger than every ghost out there!" She said angrily.

Danny sighed. "I know you're strong. They do too. But we haven't been able to sort out the Vlad problem. I think they're trying to protect you from him."

"I don't care about Vlad," Danielle muttered, but Danny knew she understood just as he did about the danger regarding Plasmius.

After his parents had discovered their once best friend had tried multiple times to destroy their family, they'd sat down and tried to think of a plan.

Jazz had suggested the plan they had right now – pretend ignorance until Vlad showed his hand again. They were outmatched and outgunned against the older half-ghost. Danny had explained multiple times that if Vlad knew they knew his secret, their lives were forfeit. He could ruin them in so many ways. Any move they made against him would have repercussions Danny didn't want to think about.

The moment Vlad had realised Dani was back in town, he'd cornered Danny. Danny had been able to squirm his way out, reassuring Vlad that his parents didn't know anything, and that they bought Danny's story about the younger girl being a homeless youth Danny convinced his parents to take in because of her resemblance to the family.

It had been a thin cover-up, and Vlad hadn't been happy. He threatened Danny and those close to him multiple times to make sure his secret stayed safe. Vlad was currently oblivious to his parent's knowing about Danny's alter ego. Danny didn't know how long he could keep the lie going.

It was why whenever Danny was near his parents as Phantom he was invisible, and why Dani wasn't out fighting ghosts. There were a lot of chess pieces on the board, and Danny was having a difficult time keeping track of them all. Plasmius was more than capable of stealing a few pieces when Danny wasn't paying attention.

The worst part was Danny didn't have to act afraid whenever Vlad threatened him. He was unhinged and desperate for Danny to like him. A part of Danny thought Vlad knew that his secret was out and was planning his revenge. It was exhausting.

His parents had the hardest bit. They had to pretend as though nothing had changed.

His father had taken it as a bit of a game. Whenever Vlad was around the house, Jack did all he could to annoy the man as an act of petty revenge. On a memorable occasion Jack had dragged Vlad down to the lab and handed him a few devices made to harm ghosts that touched them. Vlad had skillfully extracted himself from Jack's clutches, and made a quick escape.

His mother simply remained the same, distant and disapproving of Vlad's presence around the house. It was unchanged, and Vlad seemed oblivious.

There was always a sour note in the house after the manipulating billionaire left, but also a sense of relief.

It was becoming nearly impossible keeping everything balanced with who knew what about whom, but Danny was able to manage thanks to the support of Jazz, Dani, Sam, and Tucker.

It was far from ideal. But right now, it was the only thing they had. They needed more time to expose Vlad. They needed a plan and support.

Danny's thoughts returned to the situation at hand as they approached FentonWorks.

Turning visible, the two halfa's phased through to the basement lab. Danny immediately released Wulf, who leapt out of the thermos growling with rage.

Dani, who hadn't met Wulf, was startled by the apparently violent ghost, and dropped into a battle stance.

"Amigo!" Wulf relaxed after spotting Danny. He rushed forward and grabbed Danny in a one armed hug.

"Hey, Wulf," Danny gasped through the bone crushing hug.

Wulf's tongue lolled out of his mouth happily, before he turned to inspect Dani.

" _Who are you?"_ Wulf asked. Dani smiled timidly at the unfamiliar words.

" _This is my sister, Danielle Phantom,"_ Danny told Wulf. "Danielle, this is Wulf."

Wulf grabbed her in a hug as well. Danny snickered.

" _Family of Danny is also my family,"_ Wulf said. Dani politely extracted herself from the ghost, and there was moment of silence.

" _Wulf, who hurt you?"_ Danny finally asked, moving forward to inspect the wound. The thick fur and sweatshirt blocked his view of what must be a gruesome injury.

Wulf growled. _"Walker. He's after me again."_

Danny sighed. "No surprise there," He muttered. He pulled his anthropomorphic friend over to the section of the lab where his parents had set up a tiny emergency care area.

" _How did you escape?"_ Danny asked. Danielle had grabbed some bandages and a disinfectant that was designed to work on ghosts. She remained politely silent as they worked, but Danny could feel her curiosity about their conversation.

Wulf's thick fur made it hard to work, and Danny thought they might had to shave the area.

" _Same way I always do. Portal."_ Wulf grunted as Danny prodded his injury.

Danny frowned at him. Beside them, Danielle was watching intently, trying to understand what was being said.

" _I need to take your hair from the injury,"_ Danny said. His Esperanto was shaky still, and it was difficult for him to try and get his point across. He wished Tucker was there.

Wulf stared blankly at him for a moment before he nodded in understanding. " _Shave fur."_

They set to work removing the hair with a pair of scissors Dani had located after Danny had asked. Aside from the occasional whimper from Wulf, it was quiet.

Eventually Wulf's arm was sporting a sling to support his injury, and his tattered green sweatshirt was discarded in the trash.

"You'll probably be better by the end of the week, but you have to take it easy," Danny said slowly. Wulf seemed to be struggling with the English, and after a moment of hesitation, Danny said, _"Few days of sitting."_

His friend nodded in understanding, and enthusiastically licked Danny's cheek. He leapt backwards in disgust, wiping at the slime.

Jack and Maddie arrived at the house almost two hours later, Sam and Tucker with them. The two hybrids and ghost were sitting on the couch, watching television. Danny spent more time watching Wulf, who was completely engrossed by the moving picture, and would occasionally repeat the English words he heard and recognised.

Wulf was momentarily oblivious to their arrival as he focused on the television screen, but Jack's sharp intake of breath upon seeing the ghost brought his attention away from the screen.

Danny swiftly stood, placing a warning hand on Wulf's uninjured arm.

"Mom, Dad, this is Wulf. He's the ghost who can create portals. I told you about him," Danny said. He was happy his parents were finally in a situation they knew something about. He'd so often found himself explaining constantly to them now, first about his ghost half and then Dani and his complex relationship with Vlad.

Sam and Tucker eased themselves around his uncertain parents, and Wulf's tail wagged excitedly at their approach.

" _My friends!"_ The ghost shouted, and he bounded towards them in an awkward three legged hobble.

At the ghosts' quick approach, his father pulled his mother backwards, shielding her with his larger frame. She immediately shoved at him, and stepped beside him. They didn't react beyond that, even as Wulf grabbed both Sam and Tucker in a one armed hug.

" _I have missed my human friends! How are you both?"_ Wulf asked, sniffing Tucker's hat.

" _We're doing okay, bud. We missed you too,"_ Tucker replied, gently pushing the giant maw away from his head.

Wulf turned his attention to Sam, giving her a lick on the side of her face. She groaned. _"Good to see you too,"_ She told him, wiping at the saliva.

Dani had slid up to Danny, and watched the interactions with the same interest as Maddie and Jack showed.

"What language are they speaking?" She asked. "I heard you speaking it earlier with Wulf too."

Maddie and Jack looked curiously at Danny, obviously wondering as well.

"Esperanto," He told them. "The first time we met Wulf, only Tucker could speak to him. We've run into him a few times since and learned bits so we could talk to him too."

Danny saw his mother mouthing the word Esperanto, looking curiously at the enormous ghost still greeting Tucker and Same.

"Do you speak any English?" Maddie asked Wulf clearly. The wolf focused on her, and almost seemed to purse his lips.

"Not much English. Danny help learn," Wulf said. He looked happy, but turned his head to Danny as though worried he'd accidentally said something wrong.

"Danny is helping me learn," He corrected easily. Wulf repeated the words, facing Maddie again.

"I am Maddie, and this is Jack," Maddie said slowly, motioning to herself and then his father. Jack gave a little wave.

"Maddie," The ghost said. He stepped forward and stuck out his right paw. "I am Wulf."

Maddie bravely shook the giant wolf's paw, who turned to look at Danny in delight, his enormous tongue hanging out the side of his mouth.

Wulf shuffled to stand in front of Jack, who looked at Wulf with an almost excited expression.

"Jack," Wulf murmured. "I am Wulf."

Danny's heart felt fit to burst as he watched the proceedings. Beside him, Dani beamed at their parent's interaction with the ghost. Danny wrapped an arm around his sister's shoulders, and hugged her tight. She giggled and phased out of his grip.

Danny knew the next few days at school would be difficult. He'd nearly exposed himself to help his ghostly friend, and he would definitely have a lot of explaining to do to some curious people, but for now he couldn't help but beam with happiness.

It was the little things like this that made what he did worth it. He could let his uncertain future disturb him, or he could focus on the things that were real, like his family and friends.

He'd originally set out to protect his city from ghosts, but it was more than that now. He was starting to become a bridge between the ghost and human worlds. He was one of the few who could bring both sides together peacefully, he realised.

Tucker and Wulf had started chattering excitedly in Esperanto too complicated for Danny to easily follow. His parents seemed slightly dazed, and Danielle had gone to sit next to them.

He smiled at Sam, who smiled shyly back.

There was trouble ahead, he knew, but pushing that aside was easy as he approached Sam and grabbed her hand. They headed to the couch, hoping to watch a movie surrounded by their loved ones.

As he stared at Sam's face, Danny knew that as long as his family and friends were near, things might just be okay.

A/N

 _To be quite honest, I wasn't sure where I was going when I began writing this one. It's mostly just practise writing for me, but I can't help but want feedback. I know there must be a desire for a Vlad showdown, and I promise nothing as I don't know what, if anything, I'll write about next. It'll be a surprise for us all!_


	4. Impressions

"Do you ever wonder what it's like?" Dash said suddenly, causing Danny to startle slightly. He snorted at himself. Sudden noises could get him to jump, but a ghost threatening to kill him was a piece of cake. Imagine that – Danny Phantom's weakness being sudden loud noises!

Danny glanced at Dash with question, who quickly clarified. "Fighting ghosts."

They were standing in the library by a window. They'd been serving detention together, when Danny's ghost sense had gone off. It was the Box Ghost, and Danny had sent a clone out after the annoyance. He was slowly but surely becoming better at clones, and had felt fine during the short scuffle before the Box Ghost had been sucked up in the thermos. It was hardly an interesting fight, yet Dash had run to the window, and gasped and cringed as though he'd watched a showdown between Plasmius and Phantom.

"Oh," Danny said in surprise. It was weird enough that Dash had stopped trying to bully him a few months ago, but the fact that they were on almost talking terms still surprised him. Something had changed in Dash, and Danny hoped it would stay.

Danny rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. "Well, my parents are ghost hunters. I guess I've thought about it a little."

His clone returned invisibly at that moment, and Danny absorbed it with a slight shiver. The return of energy had goosebumps erupt all over his arms, and he shook his head to dispel some of it.

"A little? Dude, it's all I think about now," Dash murmured. It's a reply, unlike the usual responses Danny was used to getting – namely being shoved in a locker.

"Oh?" Danny awkwardly responded. What did one say to their school bully?

"I mean, I saw you with that ghost dog a few months ago, the whole class did, and I thought about how I hated being scared of ghosts, and feeling useless," Dash continued, and Danny whipped his head around to face him.

 _Ghost dog?_ Had Dash seen him with Cujo? He quickly went over the conversation again, before realising Dash had meant the time Wulf had crashed into the school seeking Danny's help.

"I think I want to be a ghost hunter," Dash said, turning to face Danny head on. "I want to be the human version of Danny Phantom. The male version of the Red Huntress."

Danny's mouth was hanging open. He knew it was. He just didn't want to close it.

Dash's expression was slowly changing from a look of determination to one of anger. Danny knew it had to be because of the disbelieving look he had on his face.

"Why?" Danny asked quickly. "Why… Why hunt ghosts? There's a lot of ghost hunters out there, and Phantom does a good job."

"Yeah, he does," Dash said, and he smiled at the thought of his hero. Danny so wished at times like this that he could just change so he would be able see the look on Dash's face. The realisation that the kid he picked on had saved him multiple times – well, he had seen the look before. In alternate timelines... and it was always pretty sweet.

"He's what inspired me. Can you imagine how awesome it must be to be him? Flying around and saving people… Man, I wish I was him. He's got the best life."

Danny couldn't help it. He laughed. It was a small snort at first, then a full on laugh that had Dash angrily looking at him, grabbing the front of his shirt.

"What's so funny?" Dash asked threateningly. Danny raised his hands up at his sides.

"I wasn't laughing at you, I swear," Danny said quickly. "It's just… Well, haven't you seen Spider-Man? Or, I dunno, Batman? It's not always easy for the hero. I bet Phantom's made a ton of enemies. And he's probably got things to do besides fight ghosts all day. He's got to keep up appearances in his life, or whatever."

Dash released his shirt and snorted. "He's a ghost, man. Ghosts don't do much."

Danny laughed again. "I wish," He said without thinking.

"What?"

Danny's eyes widened, and he rubbed his neck anxiously. "Like I said, my parents are ghost hunters. Ghosts, uh… do stuff too. They have their own world."

"Yeah, yeah, the Ghost Zone. Phantom's always yelling about ghosts staying there. Weird how he doesn't stay there."

Danny looked oddly at Dash. "What do you mean?"

"Well, a lot of the ghosts seem to attack just because of Phantom, haven't you noticed?" Dash said, and Danny frowned. Of course he had noticed. He was Phantom.

"They didn't start really attacking until after he showed up. I mean, the ghost is a hero, he's saved me multiple times, and the town, but like… don't you think he's the cause?"

Danny hadn't known Dash could think past football and girls. Danny also hadn't thought Dash wanted to be a ghost hunter. Yet here they were, attempting to discuss the root of the town's ghost infestation.

"What about the Ghost King? He didn't attack because of m – uhh, because of Phantom."

Danny Fenton didn't talk about ghosts. Danny Fenton was scared of ghosts. He ran whenever they were near, and avoided all conversation about ghosts. So his almost saying me was understandable, right? Whenever Danny Fenton spoke of Phantom, it was to someone who knew his secret. When he spoke to his friends, he didn't have to watch what he said.

Danny wanted to flee, to turn invisible and not have to continue to talk to Dash, his school bully, who was getting uncomfortably deep in the conversation.

Dash didn't notice or didn't care about the slip up. He just shook his head at Danny's answer. "But the town was targeted because of the ghost activity or something, right? I mean, why was just our town sucked into the Ghost Zone when this ghost king wanted to rule everything?"

Danny wanted to say _because Plasmius is a crazy fruitloop out to manipulate and use me,_ but he realised that by twisting that bit of logic, again it was his fault that Pariah Dark had attacked Amity. Plasmius had manipulated him because he was a half-ghost. If he hadn't been one, the situation might never have happened.

"Because of the ghostly energy!" Danny said instead. "Because the town is a hotspot for ghosts. I mean, who knows how Phantom came to exist, but he's trying to save us, right?"

The bell rang suddenly, signifying that the detention was over. Dash didn't respond as he grabbed his bag from where he'd stashed it under one of the tables, but paused when he realised Danny wasn't near him as he was leaving the library. As odd as it seemed, Dash wanted to continue talking to him. Danny hastily grabbed his bag and followed Dash out the door.

"He's trying to save us yeah, and he's gotten loads better at it – remember all the destruction he used to cause trying to stop those ghosts?"

Danny winced slightly at the mention of those harder times. He'd been thrown into more buildings then he cared to admit. Sometimes going intangible was difficult.

Dash continued on without noticing Danny's reaction. They were outside now, heading in the general direction of the parking lot. Dash drove, and Danny usually flew, so Danny awkwardly tagged along, waiting for an escape as Dash carried on.

"I just want to know why he'd try to save the town anyways. It's inspiring. Do you think it had something to do with how he died? Maybe he couldn't save someone before dying or something… It's his obsession now or something."

Danny knew Dash was just speculating the same way everyone else in the city must do. None of them had ever voiced their thoughts to the actual ghost in question, however. Danny felt oddly offended at being analyzed by someone who wasn't Jazz.

Dash had gone silent, obviously expecting an answer from Danny. Danny shrugged.

"I guess he feels like he has the power to stop those other ghosts from causing harm, so he does it. I mean, if you had ghost powers, wouldn't you use them for good?"

Dash barked out a laugh. "If I had Phantom's powers I'd tell everyone. _And_ I'd be a kick ass ghost hunter."

Danny frowned at Dash's response. "Spider-Man, though. Protects his identity to keep those around him safe from his enemies."

Danny's mind flashed again to the danger of Plasmius. They still seemed to be fooling the older half-ghost about his parents continued ignorance of his and Danielle's abilities. They were more involved than ever before, now. There hadn't been much from Vlad in the last month, which was as worrying as it was refreshing.

Dash snorted. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, it'd be cool if everyone knew. Like Iron Man."

"Like Iron Man," Danny absently repeated. They'd reached Dash's car, and Danny hung back, wanting the jock to drive off so he could fly home. Sam and Tucker had said they were going to meet up with Danielle and wait for him there.

Dash waved Danny to the passenger side door. "Get in man, I'll drop you off."

Danny bit his lip in frustration. He knew he lived far by walking standards, and turning down the offer of a free ride would be suspicious.

"Thanks," he muttered, and sat in the seat.

Dash put the car in reverse, backing out. Throwing it into drive, he left the parking lot.

"But what about you? You'd keep your ghost powers secret, yeah?" Dash asked absently, almost uninterestedly.

Danny studied Dash. He obviously wasn't interested in Danny's response, and was asking to continue the conversation. Why Dash would want to continue speaking to Danny after several years of bullying, Danny didn't know. But it _was_ refreshing. And it was a little funny just how close Dash was to the truth.

"Not from my family and friends," Danny replied. It was the truth. There wasn't a cover in that simple sentence. He'd come clean with them – the only thing he held to his chest was Dark Phantom. The secrets were gone. Sam and Tucker knew everything from the start, Jazz learning slowly, Danielle picking up as she went along. His parents got the full explained story, though they hadn't experienced much at all.

Dash nodded absently. "You'd tell Sam for sure, yeah? Like Spider-Man. Only his girlfriend knew. And enemies."

Danny laughed awkwardly. "Yeah. Sam knows."

Eager to change the subject, Danny motioned absently with his hand at the car.

"This all yours?" He asked, feigning interest.

"Nah, my dad lets me use it," Dash replied, and Danny raised an eyebrow at the honesty. He'd expected a story about how it was technically his, and his parents used it occasionally.

"You drive?" Dash asked, and Danny smirked.

"No. Thinking about getting my flying license though."

Dash glanced at him in surprise. "Really? Flying?"

Danny smiled widely, holding back his laughter. "It's faster," he said blandly.

Dash made a sound of agreement, though Danny could see he'd irritated Dash with the comment.

They pulled up outside his house, Dash giving the glowing neon sign a look Danny couldn't read. Even in the daylight, the FentonWorks sign seemed to light up the area around it.

"Uh, thanks for the ride," Danny said awkwardly. Dash nodded.

"No worries. See you around."

Dash left, and Danny watched the car drive down the street. He was mostly confused. He'd had a civil discussion with Dash. They hadn't had an issue in about two months, _since Wulf showed up at Casper High,_ but Danny had never imagined himself speaking to the guy normally.

He headed inside after the car had vanished from his street. Dash had ulterior motives for talking to Danny today. There wasn't a universe in which Dash would talk to him to be nice. Danny would just have to figure out what Dash wanted before he got it.

Dash Baxter left Fenton's house without checking to make sure that he got in the door. It was impolite, but Fenton wasn't a friend. Driving away was easy, but not thinking about the kid he bullied for years was a bit harder. Seeing Fenton standing so close to that enormous ghost dog a few months ago had really rattled Dash. There had been no fear in Fenton, he'd simply done what he thought he needed to do. Which, oddly enough, was to try and protect a giant ghost dog.

It was unsettling to know that Fenton was able to stand against something that left him breathless with terror.

So he'd backed off. Dash wasn't so naïve as to think Fenton incapable of standing up to him if he kept tormenting the kid.

Dash had to admit, he felt a bit better not bullying his classmates. It had been engrained in him for so long to be mean to his peers that focusing on himself had been different. A good different.

He'd stopped Kwan from going at some maths kids a few days ago. It was difficult, trying to be a nicer person. Kwan had stared at him like he had two heads, but let the kids go.

Focusing on himself meant he focused on what he wanted from life – and right now, he wanted to help the town by hunting ghosts.

Dash snorted at the term. Ghost hunting. Years ago, before any of this messed up ghost invasion shit had happened, he remembered watching a show where people went into supposedly haunted houses and tried to contact ghosts. They'd called that hunting.

Now, it was more like ghost response. A ghost is spotted, and the ghost hunters dealt with it. Like first responders at the scene of a crash. It was a regular thing in Amity Park, and barely a day went by without a report of a ghost causing havoc. Why people continued to live in this town confused him, but home was home.

What Dash needed was to collect real information about what it was like to be a ghost hunter. The Red Huntress vanished after a fight, but the Fenton's tended to stick around and make sure everyone was okay. There was also Masters' Blasters, but Dash hadn't liked their attitude when they first started out. They were chill now, but opinions were opinions.

Then there was Phantom. A ghost himself, he fought for the safety of the town. He was elusive and powerful and intelligent. It was easy to understand why he and so many others admired the ghost.

A ghost that hunted ghosts. It was so weird. Why would a ghost protect humans from its own kind? What made Phantom so inherently different from the other ghosts? Fenton had said he thought Phantom was like Spider-Man... great power and great responsibility, or whatever. But Spider-Man was a human(?) protecting humans. It made more sense. Spider-Man also had a life outside of being a hero. Phantom was a ghost. What did he do besides float around invisibly?

Thinking back to what he'd actually listened to Fenton saying, the way the kid spoke was as though he'd thought Phantom had a secret identity. Dash had said he'd tell everyone if he had superpowers, and what had Fenton said? Something about Spider-Man keeping his identity secret, right?

Why did the kid compare Phantom to Spider-Man? Phantom was a ghost, while Spider-Man was a genetically modified human or something. Peter Parker kept his identity secret because he had powerful enemies, but _Phantom was a ghost._ Even if he had a secret identity, why would worry? His dead ghost enemies were going to hurt his dead ghost friends?

Dash snorted at his thoughts. He was home anyways. He'd go play some shooter game online with Kwan, now. Practice his aim for when he used actual ecto-guns for ghost fighting. Not that he really thought a video game would help him be able to shoot a real gun. Help his reflexes, maybe.

Dash was oblivious to the ghost the hovered invisibly above him. If he'd known Phantom was so close, the questions be endless.


End file.
